


Dream World

by furystarcat



Category: Original Work
Genre: Androids, Angels, Dream World, Elves, Virtual Reality, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:18:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2628122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/furystarcat/pseuds/furystarcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Z was living his peaceful life in a fairy-tale land but then one of the monarchy's angel princes comes to village and changes his perception of reality completely. That is the world he's living in isn't the real world at all...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream World

**Author's Note:**

> So this a summarized version of a long story that I came up with for an eventual comic and also my first submission on this site. I wrote this as an entry to a State writing contest and it got an honorable mention so hopefully you'll like it too. There's some art of the characters here: http://furystarcat.tumblr.com/search/dream+world

Dream World.

Green leaves speckle the branches and floor as the dawning light passes through the growth, bringing graceful beams to the ground below. Sounds of life echo through the wood, melodies of song birds and soft breezes. Dark locks twist and sway within the drafts that wind between the trunks of large oaks. Z was making his way home to his house of one in a village on the outskirts of the Rhidsan Desert. The foliage begins to wither and his boots scuff the dusting of sand. The town of Aburn was small, a desert community that didn’t have much to offer and wasn’t as well pursued as the port cities like Eck'air. Those that do stay there, however, usually come with a desire for isolation and lack of activity. Most of the residents were older so Z, being sixteen, often did the more physically vigorous work for his neighbors such as going to the Amil woods to collect various herbs for the town’s sole healer, Old Lady Doz.

 

Aburn is just one of many towns and cities in the kingdom of Keyno, where residents are not always human. Humans do of course inhabit the kingdom, but so do striking elves, sour trolls, proud shifters, ghostly dulahons and demons. Then there are Angels.

 

Angels are dangerous; you are never to approach them. They are also precious; you are never to touch them. That is, if you are provided with the opportunity of ever seeing one. They are the beings that govern Keyno, and very few have ever been fortunate enough to see one. Yet the elves that serve them will make their appearance, sharing the royal demands of the fabled creatures. Some say it’s really just the elves in charge and the alleged celestial beings don’t even exist.

 

When Z entered Aburn he noticed the agitated villagers standing outside their homes and shops. Centered among them was an elvish woman with her caramel colored hair pulled back. She dismounted her horse. Accompanying her were six more of her people clad in expensive armor decorated with the golden outlines of wings across their breast plates. Another figure dismounted a white steed as well. This figure was cloaked in a heavy blue fabric that was pulled over the face. The whole entourage made Z suspicious and caused him to shift his weight back and forth with unease. The she-elf pulled out a parchment from the sack tied to her saddle. It held the emblem of the royal family. “Due to traitorous suspicions, the town of Aburn will now be host to the Prince’s royal guard. Traitors found guilty of their crimes will be sentenced to death. Interaction with the Prince is forbidden.”

 

***

 

Whispers plagued the people. There wasn’t a single villager who had not contributed to the gossip. Some made accusations about who the traitor was, and what they had done. Most, though, were about the prince that still hadn’t shown his face, and had locked himself inside one of the empty rooms above the tavern. The rumor, or rather the question asked so often, was what is he?

 

The constant unrest within the community was exhausting Z. It certainly did not help that he had barely slept the past few nights. Once his eyes did close, his mind traveled into a foreign world of dreams. The dreams were confusing and bright, populated by tall and skinny buildings that reflected light. The ground was gray and hard, steel cages with blaring lights rolled passed on black terrain. People dressed in constricting clothing. People were the only beings to exist. Not once in his dreams had he come across anything other than human or animal. In this odd world, creatures such as the flora covered nymphs and the burly bearded dwarves did not exist.

 

One of those nights he woke from his dream only to be hit with sudden sensation of being watched. His attention is drawn to the window perched near my bed, curtains remain still and the cold of the night demanded him to shut the space allowing the chill to consume the room. The brief gleam of silver armor caught my eye as one of the Prince’s guards disappears around the corner. He was unable to fall back asleep. The feeling kept returning. Z was looking over his shoulder at the baker’s, collecting firewood for the town from Amil, even during his regular job at the blacksmith’s. Each time he spotted one or more elves from the guard and as soon as he made eye contact with them they left.

 

“Be careful out there, boy” Thrain, the blacksmith, turned to me discerning the behavior as well.

 

“Yes sir” Z nodded.

 

For three days the strange exchanges continued. And each night the dreams became longer and more vivid.

The next morning was quiet. Aburn’s residents were tucked away in their dwellings peering out their windows. Z nevertheless wasn’t lucky enough to have noticed. The young man carried on with his routine leaving his home for his job at the blacksmith’s. When approaching the shop a calm voice stopped him.

            “Z is your name, isn’t it?”

The boy made a startled turn on his heel to face the source of the voice. It was the cloaked prince.

Z was frozen with parted lips as if he was about to answer but changed his mind.

“You may speak to me”

Z observed the soft youthfulness underlining his tone. Now up close he could also tell the prince was actually shorter than he was. Exactly how old was this Prince?

He snapped out of his thoughts when an irritated grunt was made from his interlocutor. “Oh! Yes your majesty”.

Cold grazed against Z’s neck releasing warm blood to slide down his skin. Air was hitched within his lungs his lung as his fingertips brushed the smooth surface of the small metal shield at his hip. Brown eyes traveled along a curved blade to an ebony rod clutched by two pale hands. Hands of the Prince who’s blue eyes starred back at him without feeling.

            The dark headed boy gripped the hilt of a sword and with quick draw and flick of his wrist the curved blade was knocked away with a loud clang. The strike was weak for it was made with his left hand and it wasn’t his dominant.

            The prince wasn’t fazed. Instead he held out his weapon and twirled it along his fingers with practiced precision. The scythe became only a blur to the eye and with each step closer the Prince took the more disoriented his opponent became.

            Z’s eyes darted around nervously unable to determine when the prince would attack. Then he did, the shorter boy has his arms raised above his plunging the blade down and a strong slice. Bang! The scythe hit the sword-turned-shield dead on causing the prince to stumble backwards and for heavy vibrations to travel down Z’s raised arm.

            “Your shield changes form at will, a peculiar weapon” Blue eyes narrowed curiously at the disk attached to his arm embedded with a large emerald in the center.

            Z lowered his arm now clutching a hilt once again. “Made it myself” He then moved it to his right hand and balanced his weight on nimble feet.

            For a moment they both stayed still. “Make this easier on you, accept your death” said the prince.

            “I have committed no crime!” Z shouted back.

He didn’t listen but continued to lunge at Z this time sweeping low and up diagonally. Z quickly stepped to his right and crossed with his left foot barely moving out of the way but maintained enough proximity to make an incursion of his own. He held tightly to his silver rapier and slashed downward. The prince jumped back avoiding injury but he was not able to salvage the blue cloak that was now laid torn on the dirt.

            The prince only frowned at the revelation of his appearance. He blue eyes accented the short light blond hair that framed his young face and the monochrome outfit of blacks and whites. Though what truly shocked Z were the large pristine white feathered appendages protruding from his back. He was an Angel. Z began to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

            The older boy bit his lip. There was no use in running now but he couldn’t let the battle linger just to see how long it took for his adversary to mangle him. So he took the initiative.

            Z pushed off the ground with balls of his feet each spring made his muscles pull at his thighs as he gave it all his strength. He jammed his shoulder into the other boy’s arm and wrapped his limb around the black handle gripping the end and holding it against his body. With a swift jerk he twisted the scythe that the prince held so tightly to jarring the blond’s shoulder until he heard a series of satisfying pops.

The prince only clenched his jaw. There was a flutter and at that second Z knew that the angel was going to drag him into the air. However it never happened and the prince let out a grunt of pain and grimace and his right wing hung limp while the left flapped helpless. His shoulder wasn’t the only thing dislocated. Then the brown eyed boy raised his sword to the other’s throat.

“I thought angels were supposed to be tough” Z smirked, “guh!”

A smarting and powerful smack struck his cheek and he was tousled to the side. A bone crushing grip seized his forearm freeing a loud yelp. Then Z was weightless for a moment until the ground was slamming into him with each bounce. Don’t mouth off to angels.

His body ached with bruises and cuts and his limbs were heavy with protest. Sprawled on his back he desperate looked around him to find a weapon within arms reach for he had dropped his. He was disappointed.

The prince walked up to him steadily and with ease. He knelt beside Z, staring him down with the emotionless eyes that haunted the exhausted boy. “Your penalty is death, accept it”

“No”

In one last attempt of desperation Z reached forward clasping his scraped hand around the angel’s slender neck. That’s when things made a drastic change. The prince’s eyes widen in a mixture of fear and shock and, hope? His pale lips parted and his soft voice from before was gone and what came out was strangled and gruff. It was forced and frightening.

“D-Don’t touch that!” That? His neck? No, the navy star pendent that hung from his collar and currently was pressed against the palm of Z’s hand.

Z turned it over analyzing what could possibly be distressing about a necklace. There in the center was a square shaped object that lit up and flickered with different colors. It felt cold to the touch. I was weird, so Z dislodged it.

The angel’s screech blared loudly leaving a shrill ringing in the human boy’s ears. Footsteps pounded toward them in fervor. The royal guard was on their way. Then the Prince locked his gaze with Z’s and he could see the fear in the sea of blue.

“We have to run!” He didn’t allow him to voice his confusion as he grasped his wrist pulling the two of them away. Though, their pursuers were not far behind.

Z then took the lead although stumbling and yanked the smaller boy into the Amil woods, through the foliage and into a crevice dipped between the roots of a large tree just large enough for two and covered them with blackberry bushes.

They waited, still, until dark and the sounds of their hunters had not been heard in several hours till they spoke.

The blond boy lifted his gaze. “My name is Aito”

Z frowned. “No, you’re the guy that tried to kill me”

            Aito’s eyes fell. “I’m sorry” Z replied with a sarcastic grumble that only lead to more silence, this time was more awkward.

            “What if I told you that this world didn’t exist and neither did I?”

            “What?”

The question was nonsensical and made z furrow his eyebrows in thought.

"Everything here is digital. Well almost everything, the living creatures here are very real except for the royal family."

 

"I don't understand"

 

"Those dreams you've been having those are memories of the real world. One where all people are human and magic doesn't exist."

 

"How is that possible?"

 

"Technology. Back in reality your country's government became a dictatorship led by a power hungry man. At the same time a game where you can travel to a digital realm and interact with other players called Dream World. The dictator used the game and all possibly opposing people have been placed into a digital coma in the game, either voluntarily or forced and stored in pods under the capital. This way other nations wouldn't dare attack the dictator." As Aito explained Z started to remember the image a man's cold face on screens and posters.

 

"And me?"

 

"You unknowingly volunteered into the game."

 

"What about you?"

 

Auto stiffened at the question but soon relaxed. "I am but a program to protect the hardware of the game so its captives are not released."

 

Things started to click in Z's mind. "So that thing on your neck was controlling you?"

 

"Yes that chip was a patch made when controlling me previously had proven fruitless" It was a little weird for the human boy to hear such speech come from a boy that only appeared slightly younger than him.

 

"But what about attack me?"

 

"You are a threat, a virus. Having your memories surface is dangerous to the system."

 

"But I can't be killed if this is fake, right?"

 

"No, you can be easily killed; fatalities here can damage your brain immensely"

 

"Can't they kill me in the real world then without trying to catch me in this game?

 

Aito smirked. "They could if they had the data I collected. Finding threats is in my programming which they need access to to see who the threat is. They do not have access."

 

Z chuckled at the proud expression on Aito's face. "Now what?"

 

"We crash the system."

 

"Won't that kill you?"

 

"Yes" Z frowned. "It's okay, I'm ready to die. I wasn't meant to exist anyways."

 

"I guess there is no helping it?" The blond shook his head, then took hold of his hands with blue eyes staring into Z's brown ones. "We don't have much time, we have to make our way to the castle sneak inside and.. kill the queen"

 

"What?!"

 

"I-it's okay I mean not really but she's a program too and in her code she has mother board, kill her and the system shuts down and your people are free. Please I just want to make things right."

 

Z had never killed anyone before, program or otherwise but when he saw the other boy's desperation for him to trust him he gave in. "Okay."

 

***

When morning came they continued deeper into the Amil woods. Aito was perplexed with his surroundings and a small smile lifted the corners of his lips and his wings were perky. He was very different now without the patch.

 

"Can we fly there?" The dark haired boy asked having had been witness to the Angel popping his joints back into alignment earlier.

 

"They'll expect that"

 

Z wasn't sure why he was trusting Aito but he truly seemed honest and that seemed to be enough. The journey was long and dreadful the days were hot and humid but when the sun set it was bitter cold and the two often sheltered against one another in the nooks of trees a burrows in the ground. Z had proven as a useful at finding them shelter and paying attention to the weather rather than his companion. Even though he knew that it wasn’t real he still felt the cold of the rain on his skin and he wasn’t about to risk getting soaked and having to sleep in wet clothes.

            There were a few instances where they thought they would have to take up arms. Most of the times it was petty thieves wanting to kick them around and steal their few belongings but as soon Aito spread his wing out they would flee. Z wondered if Aito’s wings not being hidden would cause trouble but the angel in question seemed not to be the least concerned and just urged the human boy to keep moving instead of follow after the thugs.

Aito's steps became softer and more careful as they began to approach a stone wall. His pale hand motioned for his friend to come closer to a small drainage system at the foot of the castle wall. He gripped the bars and tugged, hard. The stones shifted and groaned at being torn apart. Z jammed his sword into one of the crack prying the structure apart and soon Aito fell backwards bent bars and stones in hand. Z chuckled.

"Wish I was a strong as you"

 

He only shrugged in reply, "it's an angel thing"

 

The tunnel they slipped into was dark and small with only one direction to go. The surround walls were cold and damp and made Z's stomach turn at touching it.

 

The remained crouching within the tunnel for a while till a light broke through the darkness. It was a small grate that gave both of the boys a sense of relief. Z gave one giant thrust of his legs and threat a pushed out with a clatter. He inhaled deeply sinking his teeth into his lip to remain silent in case someone was alerted by the noise.

 

After a few minutes Aito whined behind him, "hurry up I want out of here"

 

The room they entered was a quaint bathroom with white walls and tiles and a marble sink in tub with gold accents. "Oh this is my bathroom!"

 

Z squinted at him curiously. "Do you even need one?"

 

"Nope! We should probably wait till it's darker, the guard over here changes his shift then"

 

Z sat on the edge of the tub watching Aito as he ran fingers through his white feathers adjusting them into a more comfortable position.

 

"So do you feel?"

 

"Yes I do, I'm not sure how or why the other programmed characters don't feel anything it all, but I've always been kind of odd." Aito turned to face him. "It'd be easier to ask you questions if you remembered who you were...”

 

"Yeah it would've been nice to be friends outside an evil video game coma" Z earned a chuckle from the blond.

 

"I do know your real name though, Zaden"

 

Heavy stomped passed the door and they held their breath. "I guess we should go then"

 

Peering around the door before entering the wide hall they stayed close to the walls Aito leading Zaden and occasionally stopping when a guard passes by.

 

"Here"

 

Z looked up at large golden doors that reach high to the ceiling decorated with carvings of cherubim and doves. Slowly the parted the doors a low and echoing creak haunting the halls.

 

The room was large, red tapestry hung from the walls framing stained glass windows which starlight wrinkles through and spread against the floor.

On a platform at the far end of the room was a golden throne in which a small woman sat. When she saw the intruders, she smiled.

 

"Aito what brings you here?" She approached the two boys, on wings. Z looked over at his friend and saw his troubled and sad expression.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"I'm sorry your majesty but I-"

 

"Kill them!" A plump man who dressed in multiple layers of silks and fur busted into the throne room. And upon his small was golden crown set with fine jewels. He was the king, however a black coiled tail squirmed behind him. He was a demon.

 

Zaden withdrew is shield willing into a silver bow and metal arrows and he took aim upon the horde elves pouring from the entrances. There were too many but he kept aiming one crumbling to the ground after the other he was running on adrenalin wasn't even aware of the lives he was taking, their bodies Turing into pixels and dissipating.

 

Aito yelped when a force slammed into and slung him into ground. The stout king strode to the Prince pressing his large foot against his throat. The angel’s small hands tried the man off to no avail and it confused z as he had remembered being tossed like a feather by the same boy.

 

A strangled voice mixed with chokes reached his ears, "Z-Z! H-he's the administrator!"

 

He then remembers it all. Zaden was a boy from the big city that played video game frantic. Who was great in math but struggled in English, who stopped by the park after school to feed the rest of his crackers from lunch to the ducks on the pond. Who was invited to be a beta tester for a game called Dream World by someone who revered to himself as the King.

 

Z narrowed his gaze and glared at the king the bow shaping into his sword again. He lunged charging the man behind and with an enraged scream pierced the man.

 

The admin screech with anger and pain flailing back to grab at his attacker but his arms gradually grew limp before bursting into pixelated light.

 

The elves began to disappear one after the other.

 

"So this is why you have come, to break the system"

Aito coughed when he sat up looking to the sad look on the Queen. "I'm sorry"

 

"No, I was knew this time would come.. this world is tainted and we're not meant to be here."

 

Z frowned, she might have not been living but the ache in his chest was all the same. Aito looked heartbroken his lower lip pulled forward as the woman true to give him a comforting smile.

 

"Aito don't waste those emotions on me, what about yourself?"

 

"I'm not afraid to die."

 

Now the ache in Z's heart increased as the reality of a life without his friend was closing in on him. He would have his old friends and family again but the little Angel that saved his life would no longer exist.

 

Aito held in a sob and glance d over his shoulder his observer. "Thank you for helping me Z"

 

"N-no thank you" and with that Aito stood brushing away sniffles and smiled weakly in attempt to show strength. The queen returned the gesture and lowered her head to the floor so he wouldn't have to see his face as he did the next thing. He raised his swipe and let in fall in one quick and strong swipe. Everything went dark.

 

***

Zaden opened his brown eyes to dim light. Slowly he wiggled his fingers and toes then his arms and his legs. His body was in one piece. He lifted his fingers to his face feeling the oxygen mask strapped to him that was currently shut off. Cautiously he removed it and pressed his Palm to the glass encapsulating him. His breath fogged the clean surface and when he pressed against it the surface popped free and opened.

 

Zaden sat up and examining his environment. The room was dark and the only source of light was blue leds from the machinery. He noticed a great number of other pods full of sleeping people crowding the room.

 

He tentatively rested his sneakered feet onto the cement and stood. He was wobbly at first but managed to make his way to a computer screen. The screen was flashing a bright red window with the words system failure. Zaden glanced over the keys until he found a very convenient button with a single word imprinted on it, release.

The basement began firing off hisses one after the other as more and more pods started to open and people began to groan. The boy ran around whispering shushes for them to be quiet. He then made the decision to explore further.

 

He found a set of stairs and forced himself to climb them fighting the pang within from losing a friend.  Gently he pushed the door to open only to find two men in dapper suits passed out on the floor. The further he traveled he came across more some simply knocked out others were dead.

 

Down a skinny long cream-colored hall and to the right was where he found a decently sized militia with the word revolution painted over their vests and helmets. They all turned with guns raise at his entrance.

 

"No stop!! I'm from Dream World!"

 

They stared at him with slack jaws and wide eyes. A woman came forward in heavy armor and clasped his face in her hands. He had never met this older woman before but didn't push away she pulled him against her. She was closer to tears then he was.  "How on earth did you wake you precious boy?"

"Huh?"

"The system was unhackable if someone tried you would have been all killed."

"I had some help from the inside"

 

There was the brisk pounding of boots as a militia ran in. "Sir! You better come look at this"

Though no sooner than the words were spoken the people from the pods began walking and the some of the soldiers flocked to them. Zaden decided to follow the shouting man.

He follows him and  others to another dark room filled with blue lights. "Light is broken" So they all brought out their flashlights searching for what startled their comrade. Then there it was.

As soon as Zaden saw he fell to his knees releasing and wept. There slumped in the corner was a pale body with a sheet wrapped around the hips and short blond hair and a face remarkably similar to a boy he once knew.

"It says emergency data transfer what does that mean?" One of the soldiers spoke.

 

"Oh I know what this is, you know those rumors of the biological soldiers the big wigs were creating from DNA and tech coding? Well this must have been their prototype."

Zaden's stomach turned they see me  Not to care about the boy in front of him or at least that what Zaden thought they felt. A sharp intake of breath caused him to look up only to see a pair of blue eyes fluttering open.

"It's alive?! Is that even possible?"

"Z?"

"Hey Aito"

"You look different... your hair is short"

"You lack wings"

Aito gave a halfhearted laugh. "So how am I alive?"

"Apparently you had a body waiting for, a clone or something."

"Cool and the evil guy?"

This time on of the rebels spoke up, "dead."

"Cool”

"Let me help you up" Zaden wrapped an arm around his waist and hoisted him to his feet. Aito whimpered as cords and needles were gently pulled from his skin but sighed in relief when he was rid of them. He then notice to the blond’s inked back, he had wings depicted across his shoulders blades and to his elbows, on his back was writing going down on both sides of his spine, Aito on the left and Clone 01 on the right.

Zaden stopped for a moment and chuckled.

“What?”

“I guess I’m a ‘traitor’ after all”

END


End file.
